This invention relates to a winding device for winding tape-like or flattened hose-like elements, especially fire hoses and socalled loading straps, comprising a rotary coil and an operating means, e.g. a manually operated crank, and including a preferably crank-activated fixing means for firmly attachment of the fire hose portion where the winding starts, to the rotary coil.
Preferably, the device should be such that a fire hose having a connector at each end, in completely wound condition, should be able to be pulled off from the winding device and afterwards maintain its orderly wound condition. Thus, one winding device may be used for controlled winding of a substantial number of fire hoses, making them clear in spiral-wound condition.
The withdrawal direction may suitably coincide with the crank axis.
Fire hoses may be wound up in one of two different ways, requiring only one embodiment of the winding device according to the invention, certainly somewhat modified from case to case: In the first case, the fire hose is disposed double, causing half winding length and a loop at the centre of the normal length thereof, the two end connectors being positioned at the other end of the winding length. In the other case, the fire hose is completely extended in its longitudinal direction, having one end connector at each end. As the end portion of the fire hose in both cases has to be accommodated within the sleeve-shaped, rotary coil of the winding device and the end connectors of fire hoses have a rather substantial size, a coil having a significantly larger internal diameter is used when the fire hose has to be wound up from completely extended condition than when the winding starts at said loop forming the centre for a fire hose placed double.
Norwegian patent No. 301,635 discloses a winding device of the kind defined introductorily. According to this Norwegian patent specification, one has primarily aimed at winding up loading straps. However, it is mentioned that the winding device likewise could be usable for winding up e.g. fire hoses, without going further into the special winding methods for fire hoses.
For winding a loading strap, the coil is formed with an axially directed cavity radially defined by two radial clamp faces of the coil sleeve at the cavity. The crank shaft extends through the bore of the coil sleeve and has in the area of the through-going cavity of the coil a clamp portion parallel to the crank shaft, projecting laterally out from the latter. In the circumferential direction of the coil sleeve, this clamp portion has a substantially smaller thickness than the width of the coil sleeve cavity.
With the crank occupying one or the other starting position, the clamp portion of the crank shaft, thus, can be adjusted such that it is positioned in the proximity of one clamp face and further spaced from the other clamp face defining the coil sleeve cavity. Thus, it becomes easy to position the loading strap end in between the clamp portion of the crank shaft and the clamp face positioned furthest away, defining the coil sleeve cavity. As soon as the loading strap end has been brought into place, one starts the winding, whereby the crank shaft brings with it the clamp portion thereof, placing the loading strap in between that portion and the clamp face of the coil. Now, the coil is turned during the winding of the loading strap upon the rotation of the crank.
The fixing force obtainable with this known winding device which, especially, has been developed for winding up loading straps, has been found to be insufficient upon the clamping and subsequent winding of fire hoses, the device being insignificantly fit for the attachment of a loop-shaped end portion of a fire hose to be wound and, thereupon, withdrawn from the device.